Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

In Obito's eyes, it was so foolish and ridiculous.

Of course, he himself did not realize that he and Nagato were not fundamentally different, except that he had an additional advantage in terms of so-called 'strategic perspective'.

"Since you're confident, let's settle on this for now!"

"Ok!"

Obito nodded coldly.

Seeing that Obito seemed to have no further comment, Black Zetsu sank back underground, preparing to report the relevant information and the orders conveyed by Obito, 'Lord Madara,' to Nagato in the Land of Rain!

'Hidden Mist Village, Uchiha? Hmph, once my plan is fully completed, all of this will usher in a true peaceful end!'

Obito stood in the Mizukage's office, gazing at the ninja village that was shrouded in mist year-round. After a cold laugh, the surrounding space distorted, and Obito's figure disappeared into it. In the huge Mizukage's office, only the figure of Yagura Karatachi, who still had a numb expression, remained!

The Land of Rain, a nation ranked below the Five Great Nations in the ninja world, holds such a position primarily due to the existence of Hanzo the Salamander, hailed as a demigod. As a Kage-level shinobi of the same era as the Third Raikage, the Third Hokage, and the Third Tsuchikage, Hanzo, in fact, is inferior to the three at their peak. Although many enthusiasts consider Hanzo to be at the pinnacle of the ninja world, in reality, in their generation, and even before the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha died and Naruto and Sasuke had grown up, he was still considered a formidable figure.

The Third Raikage is the strongest person in the world!

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Onoki, both third-generation 'Kage', are slightly inferior.

This person is a true superhero!

However, in a large-scale ninja battle, Hanzo's destructive power is several times greater than that of the three Kage. The reason is simple: Hanzo is very good at using poison, and his summoning beast, the Salamander Ibuki, is a ninja beast covered in poison. With the cooperation of the man and the beast, they can kill hundreds of ninjas in an instant!

This is why Hanzo is known as the 'Salamander'!

As a result, the Land of Rain enjoys a very high international status. However, it is a pity that the Land of Rain's geographical location is really bad, sandwiched between the three kingdoms of fire, wind, and earth. During the three Shinobi World Wars, it could not escape the fate of becoming a battlefield.

They simply couldn't develop and could only rely on Hanzo's reputation to get by. As Hanzo grew older, the positions of the Land of Rain and Amegakure became increasingly precarious, and many people and countries were waiting for the death of this 'demigod'!

However, people outside the area are unaware of this.

This is a 'demigod'!

He died in battle more than a year ago, not long after the Third Shinobi World War ended.

Moreover, he died at the hands of a young man who called himself a 'god'.

Rain-Hidden Village.

Central region.

On top of a towering tower.

A figure with orange hair, dressed in a black robe shrouded in fiery clouds, stood there.

His face was indifferent, but most importantly, the mysterious cycle of reincarnation patterns appeared in his pupils!

All of this proves that this figure is none other than Pain's puppet created by Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki organization, using the Rinnegan and the corpse of his close friend Yahiko!

165. Akatsuki, Nagato, and Orochimaru (Third Update)

The tall, slender figure standing to the side had long, flowing, light blue-purple hair and pale orange-yellow eyes. Beneath her seemingly cold and beautiful face, one could vaguely see a hint of gentleness. This beautiful woman was none other than Konan, the only person Nagato trusted in the entire ninja world!

Opposite the two was Black Zetsu, who had been far away in Kirigakure in the Land of Water just a few days earlier. At this moment, Black Zetsu was once again perfectly playing his role, conveying the necessary information and Obito's orders to Nagato.

The face of the Pain puppet controlled by Nagato remained extremely indifferent. He merely nodded slightly without making any other statement. As the leader of Akatsuki, although Nagato was regarded as a pawn by Madara and Obito, he had long ago hypnotized himself deep down that he was the only true god who would save the world.

The so-called Uchiha Madara was just someone he was using!

Just as Madara used Obito and Nagato as pawns to realize his dream of peace, Obito and Nagato had the same mindset. The only difference was their level of understanding. In this respect, Obito was a little better than Nagato, at least he was on a higher level. But in the end, there was not much difference between them. After all, Black Zetsu or Kaguya Otsutsuki was the real mastermind!

Therefore, Nagato didn't care about Obito, who had transformed into 'Madara', or even Black Zetsu. They were just objects to be used and necessary means to carry out his plans and achieve his goals.

"Hehe, the intelligence and orders have been delivered. Now it's up to you to carry them out, Payne!"

"Hmph, watch your tone, Black Zetsu! You're talking to the leader like that!"

Pain made no comment.

Konan, sitting to the side, gave Black Zetsu a cold glance and said in a chilling tone.

Konan felt no sympathy for this so-called incarnation of 'Uchiha Madara's' will, or rather, she was extremely wary. Leaving aside the fact that 'Obito's' identity was highly suspicious, if this person truly was 'Uchiha Madara,' his intentions were equally questionable. Konan simply didn't believe that the strongest ninja in the world, who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the First Hokage, would truly only aim to achieve 'peace in the ninja world' (which actually was, but through the Eye of the Moon Plan, not the kind of plan told to Nagato and Konan).

Therefore, even though they were in a cooperative relationship, Konan had never relaxed her vigilance against Obito and Black Zetsu.

"Yes, then I'll excuse myself, Lord Payne!"

Black Zetsu seemed to reveal a strange, anthropomorphic smile. After uttering those hoarse words once more, his figure once again completely disappeared into the tower. Konan, meanwhile, stared at the direction Black Zetsu had vanished in a bizarre manner, her brows furrowed, and a faint look of seriousness appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Only Pain, standing to the side, did not show any unusual expression from beginning to end. This was partly because he himself was a puppet, and partly because Nagato, who controlled him, had long since 'cultivated' to a state of perfect tranquility.

A person who firmly believes that he is the 'God of the New World' will never be affected by mere external things. At least from Nagato's perspective, Madara and Black Zetsu are destined to be just mortals under the rule of him, the 'God.'

Before his own 'divine eyes', no mortal can hide!

It must be said that Nagato's level of self-belief at this stage had reached an extreme peak.

"Pain, I think we still need to be a little wary. Whether it's Zetsu or that 'Madara,' I always feel that their intentions aren't so simple!"

“I understand, but all schemes and tricks are futile in the face of absolute power. These ‘eyes of God’ allow me to see through and shatter any conspiracy. You don’t need to worry. Go and prepare. We’ll be setting off soon. It’s indeed time for the organization to recruit powerful members!”

Pain remained indifferent, but when he looked at Konan, a faint trace of gentleness appeared deep within his puppet-like pupils. Upon hearing his soft words, Konan's expression softened, and she nodded gently.

"Well, I see!"

The Akatsuki organization has officially begun operating, and its peripheral personnel, supplies, and other resources are basically on track. This part is currently being handled by Konan and Kakuzu. The former is the general manager, while the latter is mainly responsible for making money. In a sense, Kakuzu is the key figure who can keep the Akatsuki organization operating at a high intensity.

In the original work, after Nagato's death, Konan was able to spend so extravagantly, using hundreds of billions of explosive tags to fight Obito. This was all thanks to Kakuzu's crazy money-making over the past ten years. To be honest, if Kakuzu had a spirit in heaven, he would definitely be turning in his grave if he knew how extravagant Konan was!

Now, in this life, Kakuzu is also officially traveling around the ninja world, taking on some clandestine missions to earn high wages or simply black market bounty missions to earn the necessary funds, and the preparation of supplies is also going smoothly.

This is in preparation for the most crucial step in the organization's plan: capturing the Tailed Beasts.

The necessary strong members must be recruited immediately.

The weakest Hidan on the list provided by Black Zetsu possesses the individual strength of an elite Jonin. Combined with his immortality, he is absolutely capable of going head-to-head with a Kage-level powerhouse, especially given the lack of information. His chances of winning are extremely high!

As for Sasori and Orochimaru, we won't mention them. Both of them were already famous before the Third Shinobi World War. Others may not know about Sasori's killing of the Third Kazekage, but the White Zetsu scattered throughout the ninja world could definitely find out.

It's just a matter of time.

Therefore, both of them have high recruitment value.

These are the members that the Akatsuki organization needs.

Nagato, of course, wouldn't let it go.

As for whether the recruitment would be successful or not? Nagato never considered it, because he firmly believed that mortals would not refuse the call of 'gods'!

Therefore, after making some preparations.

Nagato then took Konan away from Kirigakure and headed to the location provided by Zetsu to recruit the three of them one by one. Their first target was Orochimaru, who was closest to them. According to the information provided by Zetsu, Orochimaru was currently staying in a secret base in the Land of Rice Fields.

Unaware that Nagato was actually Orochimaru who had brought his six Pain clones with him.

At this very moment, he is still at his base, engrossed in his research.

166. The First Meeting of Mutual 'Dihua'

Although it was long before he defected from Konoha.

Orochimaru had already made a deal with Shoji, who was disguised as Obito, and obtained the qualification to "join" the Akatsuki organization from Shoji. He even got the costume and member ring in advance. However, after leaving Konoha, Orochimaru did not go to the Land of Rain to meet Nagato, Zetsu, Obito and others immediately.

The reason is simple. It's not that he doubts the identity that Shoji is impersonating, but Orochimaru is cautious by nature. Making a 'zero-cost' deal with Shoji is no problem at all, but asking him to actually join an organization whose background is unknown is a different matter.

Orochimaru absolutely refused.

Even if he desperately desires the Rinnegan, he wouldn't do anything rash. Even if he wanted to join the Akatsuki, Orochimaru would definitely make all the necessary preparations first and gain a certain understanding of the organization before doing so.

Including the counterfeit Akatsuki uniform and ring provided by Shoji in that transaction, even though Shoji did not tamper with them in any way, Orochimaru still checked them very carefully several times, fearing that something related to tracking might have been left on them. Although Orochimaru was very confident, he was not arrogant. At this time, he was far from reaching his peak. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was already entering old age, was capable of killing him!

The Akatsuki is a mysterious organization.

Orochimaru would not let his guard down.

Unfortunately, Shoji's move was a complete bluff. Not only was his identity highly deceptive, but the transaction itself was also full of deception. Orochimaru was tricked by Shoji without any effort, and without even realizing that there was such a disgusting thing as 'White Zetsu' in the ninja world, his whereabouts were easily tracked down by the Akatsuki.

Orochimaru, who thought he could keep his whereabouts very secret and secretly carry out his various experiments, never expected to be ambushed at the door at the most unlikely time!

"Boom!"

Then a deafeningly loud bombing roared down.

The riots that were sparked.

When Orochimaru, who was underground, clearly felt a chilling wave coming from the ground, his expression changed. Orochimaru, the most talented of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, was immediately moved.

"!?"

The pale golden snake eyes stood upright.

"Konoha? Or some other enemy!?"

Orochimaru, who was finding it difficult to make a judgment for the time being, was unwilling to meet anyone here. Given the lack of information and the failure of any early warning methods, Orochimaru's first thought was to retreat immediately!

In a flash, Orochimaru, who disregarded all the research data and materials left on the research table, disappeared into another secret passage in his underground chamber.

No matter who the enemy is.

Orochimaru was absolutely unwilling to meet him.

Using all the pre-planned backup plans and making an immediate escape was undoubtedly a brilliant decision. Unfortunately, it was all done without knowing who the opponent was, how strong Pain was, or how terrifying White Zetsu's tracking and investigation capabilities were.

At this stage, Orochimaru was completely unable to escape the inescapable trap set up by Nagato with the help of White Zetsu!

It was only when he emerged from an underground passage that he did so.

Orochimaru!

That faint, cold voice resonated in Orochimaru's ears.

Then.

That was the slender figure that appeared in Orochimaru's pupils. He saw the familiar fiery cloud robe and the mysterious and profound reincarnation patterns in the newcomer's pupils.

Orochimaru was first startled, then delighted, and then his pupils were filled with vigilance and coldness.

"The leader of Akatsuki!?"

And the words that followed.

However, this caused Pain, controlled by Nagato, to furrow his brow slightly.